9 Out of 10 Say Indonesian
Government Corruptions Rampant
Ulma Haryanto & Anita Rachman
| October 28, 2011
A new survey by the Abu Dhabi
Gallup Center paints a more dire picture of the state of corruption in
Indonesia than indicated by previous studies.
Due to be officially released
today, the study, “Corruption Continues to Plague Indonesia,” shows that
Indonesians’ perception of how widespread corruption is in the country has
worsened under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The Gallup survey found that 91
percent of Indonesians believe corruption is widespread throughout the
government, as opposed to 84 percent in 2006.
And that negative perception does
not stop at the government, with 86 percent of respondents saying corruption is
extensive in the business sector, up from 75 percent in 2006.
“Gallup polling that began midway
through Yudhoyono’s first term as president shows Indonesians are more likely
now than in 2006 to say corruption is widespread throughout business and
government,” the study says.
The results of the Gallup survey
run counter to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, which
saw Indonesia’s score improve from 2.4 in 2006 to 2.8 in 2010.
The Gallup survey also found that
Indonesians were more likely than other Southeast Asians to say their
government and business sectors were corrupt. “Only in 2009, the year of
Yudhoyono’s re-election, were Indonesians less likely than now to day that
corruption is widespread throughout the country’s leadership and businesses,”
the report said.
The results were obtained from
face-to-face interviews in Indonesia with 6,390 adult respondents, between 2006
and 2011. The center is a Gallup research hub based in the capital of the
United Arab Emirates and focused on the attitudes and aspirations of Muslims
around the world.
Febri Diansyah, from Indonesia
Corruption Watch, agreed with the survey results. He added that Transparency
International’s CPI did not necessarily reflect improvements in the public’s
perception of the country’s most corrupt public sectors.
“Justice reform has been slow,
and our corruption eradication is not that effective yet,” he said.
Gallup’s survey also found that
only 56 percent of Indonesians say they have confidence in the judicial system,
and 53 percent of people still believe in honest elections.
Perhaps surprisingly, it also
found that 88 percent of Indonesians trust the police, compared to 56 percent
for the judiciary.
It was also found that
Indonesians who have completed their secondary education or higher are less
likely to profess confidence in the local police and the country’s judicial
system, compared to those with only an elementary education or less.
In the group, with less education,
92 percent declared confidence in their police, compared to 82 percent from
those with more education. Fifty-two percent of secondary school graduates or
higher still have faith in Indonesian courts, compared with 61 percent for
people with less education.
Urban dwellers are also more
sceptical of law enforcers, with 91 percent of people living in rural areas
thinking the police can still be trusted, compared to 83 percent of city
residents. A similar distinction was found for perceptions of the judicial system,
with 62 percent of people living in rural areas being optimistic about the
courts, compared to only 50 percent of urban residents.
Gallup’s main recommendation to
the Indonesian government is to reform the judicial system and the police.
The polling center also says
agencies such as the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the
yet-to-be-established Financial Services Supervisory Authority (OJK) should be
kept independent.
“If Yudhoyono and other
Indonesian officials want to eradicate corruption in their country, they should
consider tougher action,” the report says.
In another recommendation, Gallup
also says that a free press can help keep leaders in the government and private
sectors accountable and honest
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